It’s the season 2 finale. Jonathan sits down with Andrew Cody, Anna af Hallstrom, and Matt Barbacki to talk about rationality, skepticism, and what’s next for Montreal. We discuss the inaugural edition of Café Hitchens; what we know about how the mind works to become better at what you want to accomplish in life; Andrew’s cynicism vis-à-vis the politically correct Left; the value of entertainment in skepticism; and concrete steps skeptics can take to put rationality into action.

The Body of Evidence can be found at http://www.bodyofevidence.ca and on iTunes.

And don’t forget to subscribe to http://www.MoutonsNoMore.com.

So long, and thanks for all the fish. We may be back. Who knows… who knows….

Ghosts, poltergeists, apparitions… if we believe in them, does that make them true? Jonathan sits down with an expert who does sleight-of-hand before every interview: Dr. Joe Nickell! The Mackenzie House in Toronto, London’s Enfield poltergeist, even The Conjuring: none escape the skeptical investigations of Dr. Nickell. Back in the studio, a ghost hunter writes Jonathan an email which local skeptics take apart in between sighs. We talk unsubstantiated claims, David Carradine, and whether or not genetic mutations might predispose you to liking Johnny Walker Black.

Is scientific research inefficient or have we grossly oversimplified the situation? We begin with a mad comedic dash through the life of a young scientist to the sound of Italian music and then meet an actual Italian scientist! Dr. Fanelli and Dr. Kimmelman unearth the nuances behind falsification, idealization, animal studies, and reproducibility. As science goes meta, what can we do to be better scientists? If these discussions are too cerebral for you, there’s Christopher Hammock and Kishanda Vyboh to make you laugh. Are they cynical? No…. Sarcastic? Yes! We talk C.S.I., PCR, pedestals, and sharks! By the time you’re done listening to this episode, you will realize that scientists are human beings.

The word of the month is P.I. (principal investigator): the lead researcher in a laboratory. Generally does not own a Magnum (for the safety of his students).

It’s a ho-ho-holiday special, bringing you audio from our November 16 stage show, Funny You Should Think That! Stuck with annoying relatives with no idea how to entertain them? Start playing this show and, soon, you’ll be rolling on the floor, clutching your stomachs! (or maybe it’ll be because of the bad cranberry sauce) Jonathan hosts a comedy quiz show on stage with comedian panelists David Pryde, Chris Sandiford, and Darren Henwood and fellow Moutons No More producer and funny guy Andrew Cody. Water beds! Chakra Khan! Muted confirmations! Good Macaulay Culkin references! Russell Crowe as Javert! Poor Scottish upbringings! It’s all there… and more! To come to our next show, visit http://www.MoutonsNoMore.com and click “follow independently”. Happy New Year, listeners!

Would you like a side of magic with your chemo? Disproven folk remedies used to be domain of snake oil salesmen; now, they are being integrated into university health centres. Jonathan speaks to Dr. Christopher Labos, a public science educator and cardiologist, on this worrying trend. Where is the line between feel-goodery and wishful thinking? The recent case of Makayla Sault highlights the harm caused by magic’s new veneer of respectability. Back in the studio, Andrew Cody returns to the podcast, flanked by Anna af Hallstrom, to discuss laundry balls, foot detox, and child abuse. Are our panelists hopeful for the future of science-based medicine?

It’s a tug-of-war between a Romantic yearning for the stars and the sometimes harsh economic reality. As we listen for signs of extraterrestrial intelligence, who pays the phone bill? Jonathan sits down with Dr. Jill Tarter, the outgoing director of the Center for SETI Research, to talk about the long, uncertain road SETI has had to navigate in search of money. The panel this month is made up of Matt Barbacki, Anna af Hallstrom, and Dave Tsang of Astro McGill. Which basic research should be funded and by whom? We talk Ice Bucket Challenges, the Conservative government’s War on Science, and alien autopsy videos.

Is a long cardboard chain and anchor really a deep message on immigration? What is the difference between artificial pussy willows and an escalator? Are postmodern artists just having a laugh? Jonathan drags Andrew Cody through last March’s Nuit blanche and wonders if his attitude of derision is rational or not. Enter Eric Weichel, instructor in art history at Concordia University, and one of the liveliest conversations on the podcast ensues. Can we evaluate art rationally? Jonathan and Eric talk gnomes, Cormac McCarthy, and four-year-old geniuses. No panel discussion this month, but plenty of links!

We celebrate our return with Mr. Skepticism himself, Dr. Michael Shermer. What was it in humans’ evolution that led to us having beliefs and what credence can we ascribe to them? We talk mushers, invisible princesses, bicycles, and sacred cows. Back in the studio, Jonathan is joined by a panel of reasonable folks that is confronted by a thought experiment: if religion went away, would it come back? Before you know it, it’s debate time and we go meta. Are the things we perceive in an altered state evidence of a quantum oneness? Do you need to be in an altered state to listen to this podcast? Mr. Horner, could you play some of your music from Avatar, please?

http://skepticlab.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Within-Reason.jpg260260SkepticLabhttp://skepticlab.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/SkepticLabLogoTEXT-30.pngSkepticLab2014-08-09 20:24:512015-10-31 20:08:24Teaser for Season 2

It’s the season 1 finale of Within Reason with bestselling author and public science educator Dr. Joe Schwarcz. We discuss chemophobia, bisphenol A, homeopathy, and the future of college education (hint: it’s not blackboard and chalk). Back in the studio, Jonathan and Andrew dare not touch sprouted grain bread but are eager to watch Satanic water crystals. Andrew makes the case for hunting and inadvertently calls Dr. Schwarcz’s new book, Is That a Fact, the #1 for #2. Also, FYSTTing on stage on May 25! In the tradition of classic horror films, the clock is coming from inside the podcast!

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